Pollination
A. Tools
1. Container with alcohol to clean brush. 2. Film container in which capsules can be stored. 3. Drying agent to be placed in film container to keep pollen in capsules dry. 4. Gelatin capsule in which to store pollen. 5. Thin small brush with which to collect pollen and pollinate flowers. 6. A pair of forceps with which you can collect anthers. 7. A magnifying glass to aid in the pollinating process
B. When can I pollinate my flowers?
First of all the flower must be mature i.e. the stamens must be mature. Remember a mature stigma is trifid i.e it has three sticky projections when receptive. At this stage the stigma should be sticky and the pollen if applied should stick easily.
C. How do I pollinate the flower?
As soon as you find that the stigma is matured, pick an anther from the plant you would like to use as pollen parent with your forceps and rub the anther against the stigma. You can even pick the anther with a part of the filament attached for you to hold on.
D. The stigma is dry! What now?
Should the stigma be too dry, apply sugar solution (six teaspoons to one cup of water). Moisten stigma and wait five minutes before applying pollen using a thin small brush. E. Collecting and storing pollen Pollen can be brushed into a gelatin capsule. In this case several anthers will have to be used, but not all the pollen will drop into the capsule and much of the pollen will adhere to the brush. This can be scraped off into the opening of the capsule pressing down on the brush with the tip of your forefinger. One can also collect pollen by picking the anthers with a pair of forceps and place them into a gelatin capsule. To pollinate flowers with pollen collected this way, use the small brush. Leave your capsule in a dry atmosphere for at lease two days before transferring them either to your fridge or deepfreeze. The optimum temperature of the deepfreeze should be between -18 and -20 ºC. If the pollen is kept in a deepfreeze it should still be viable after three years
F. Important:
Place capsule with pollen back into the freezer the moment you have finished using it and clean your brush by immersing it in methelated spirits or absolute alcohol, otherwise pollen adhering to the brush will mix with the next batch of pollen from another plant. Also make sure that your brush is quite dry before using it to pollinate another plant.
